


When Everything Stays

by CountlessUntruths (KaliCephirot)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Frottage, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, post s6 but pre s7
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-01
Updated: 2018-10-01
Packaged: 2019-07-21 02:57:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16151105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaliCephirot/pseuds/CountlessUntruths
Summary: There is now a quietness in Keith that, before, was only hinted at, and only at certain points, center that he had often tried to help Keith get to without quite being able to do so, to Keith's previous frustration. That Keith, now, gets it, without Shiro having been there for much of it, is a bittersweet pride he feels for Keith that Shiro wouldn't trade for anything





	When Everything Stays

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15091736) at the Sheith Kinkmeme, posting it again after fixing some mistakes.

Despite how much they want to just start traveling back to Earth, when it comes to it, it might still take them some weeks of preparations.

Without the castle, the only place they can go to charge the lions is Olkarion, and then they can only charge and work on fixing them one at a time. After Lance recounts how, almost two years ago, after they found out Blue on earth, she opened a wormhole for them to travel all the way up to Arus, Allura and Coran ponder that it might be possible that, as Voltron, they might get one chance for a wormhole to get them as close to the Milky Way as it possibly can, and that means Slav and both Holt siblings making calculations and Hunk, Lance and Allura going to X-95-Vox as well, to request for the Balmera for a crystal they can use for the castle that they are, maybe, if it all works out, going to build back on Earth. 

And it's time that allows Shiro to get back on his feet, to relearn about living and existing outside of Black. It takes about five quintents to finally have enough energy to be awake for more than a few minutes at a time, and two extra quintents for him to be able to stand on his own and even walk around without falling down. It also allows him to sort through memories that weren't originally his but are, now, given to him by this other self of his that wasn't him, originally, but now might get to be, like a legacy of sorts.

There is a part of Shiro that knows that he should try to not think of (it-he-the clone--) all of it in such a way, that the sooner he accepts what remains as his, the easier it'll be to feel like himself again, instead of feeling as a guest in what is now his body.

But there is the he that was a part of Black and who tried to reach for his team and couldn't, and there is the he that wasn't _he_ even if that-other-he would have wanted to be and tried his best to be, the same he-not- _he_ that hurt the team and almost killed them.

The he that almost killed Keith.

Keith, still injured and recovering from the fight that almost killed them both (and that could have blinded him, had his Galran arm had moved just a little higher on Keith's face), says nothing of that particular line of thought which isn't something new, how deep Keith's loyalty runs, even when it might not be deserved. What changes, however, is Keith's acceptance of his own injuries, after the Olkari doctor bids him to rest.

The Keith Shiro had known would have insisted he was fine, fine to keep flying and fine to keep moving and fine to pilot black. This Keith, although clearly displeased at the news the healers give him, sighs in defeat and nods, once, accepting what the doctor says, telling Allura, Lance and Hunk to go. "Okay. Still, be careful. And call if it's needed."

Shiro hadn't been the only one surprised at Keith's quiet acceptance of his own need to heal. The only one not surprised had been Krolia, really, who had put her hand on her son's shoulder for a moment, and the smile they shared was something that Shiro had only seen a few times on Keith, almost like an accident, never on the open.

There is now a quietness and certainty in Keith that, before, was only hinted at, and only at certain points, the center and belonging that he had often tried to help Keith get to without quite being able to do so, to Keith's previous frustration. As much as patience yields focus, Shiro hadn't known how to be able to show Keith much more than the starting point of his own self.

That Keith, now, gets it, without Shiro having been there for much of it, is a bittersweet pride he feels for Keith that Shiro wouldn't trade for anything, and it stays with him while he sleeps and recovers enough energy to have a second (third?), chance to live. He only wakes up for a few minutes at first, longer each time, and Keith is always in the room, sometimes even sitting by his side on the bed and, once, even sleeping by his side, and Shiro had stared at his face until he had fallen back into slumber himself.

When he wakes up and actually feels as if he's awake and not just between dreams, Keith is shirtless, his back covered in healing welts and bruises, Keith's mother helping him tie the last of the bandages. Some sort of that silent conversation that Keith and Krolia seemed to have developed passes between them, because Keith turns to look at him with a soft, gentle smile, and Krolia leaves the room even though Shiro is certain he didn't make a sound.

"Hey," Keith says. His voice hasn't changed much, and the way his smile sounds is mostly the same. Keith's relief at seeing him up is just the same as it was when Shiro came back to Earth. "How are you feeling?"

"I think that should be my question," Shiro says, pushing himself slowly up. His body (the body, he should say, not quite his just yet, really...) is slow and clumsy with too much sleep, still trying to replenish the energy after Haggar made the other him use at the facility, the body's quintessence almost completely drained.

But that and the loss of the Galran arm were his only injuries. Keith almost killed himself on trying not to hurt him. Shiro tries not to feel guilty and, failing that, to at least not to look as guilty as he feels.

"Stop that," Keith tells him. "I'm not completely okay, but I will be. You don't get to feel sorry for my choices, Shiro."

It's not, really, the first time he has wanted to apologize. It probably won't be the last, either, not even just about this, nor will it be the last time that Keith insists that he doesn't have to do so (even though it feels like it). This, at least, hasn't changed between them and Shiro is starting to believe, truly believe, that it won't. Keith might be more certain in his own skin, more aware of his own value, but their relevance to each other and what they mean? That, Shiro knows, won't ever change, no matter what.

So he sighs, leaning against the wall on his back, trying to let go of a guilt that won't do any good (for now, at least).

"I thought I might have dreamed it, but you really do have longer hair now," he says instead.

Keith sighs, long suffering, running his fingers through his disheveled hair. "I was going to cut it, but Pidge says I'm not allowed to, not until she, Matt and Slav have actually finished with all the numbers because she misses being able to style long hair while she's frustrated, but that she's not about to put herself through actually having long hair again so I should just sit down, be pretty, and let her plait mine, at least until Allura comes back and she can mess with her hair."

Shiro chuckles softly, reaching to tug on the end of one of the longish strands: it's not as soft as he remembers it being, from before, but Keith still half closes his eyes when he combs his fingers through it, and he leans his head against his hand, gently.

"It doesn't look bad, at least. It kind of suits you."

"It wasn't like Krolia and I had scissors on the space whale," Keith tells him, giving him a half smile, a shrug. "We tried cutting it with my knife once and it really didn't work. Then, we sort of thought it'd be easier to cut it if it was longer. That's all there was of that decision, really."

Shiro smiles, letting his hand run through Keith's hair once more, until he can curl it on the nape of Keith's neck. That, too, feels mostly the same, even if there are some differences to Keith's face, beyond the scar. His cheekbones are sharper, his lips fuller. He's so warm against his hand and that might be the same, probably is, but it's been so, so long since Shiro was able to simply touch...

When he leans towards Keith, Shiro doesn't have to lean as much as once he did, for this. But Keith still meets him halfway, for the kiss.

Keith's lips, against his, haven't changed, and Keith still sighs as if he was coming home before he kisses him back. 

Even if Shiro is getting to learn again about having a body and relearning what simple things such as hunger or tiredness feel like, but he could never forget what needing Keith feels like. He hums softly against Keith's mouth before he shifts closer, wrapping his arm around Keith to try and get him closer and Keith moves with him as if it hadn't been months (years, for Keith. For him, too. Even for the body--) since the last time they did this, since the last time they were together like this.

Keith tries to get his arms around his shoulders but he winces at it-- his ribs, still bruised (maybe even broken: the he from that fight had fought to kill and had spared nothing to harm) and before he apologizes Keith kisses him again, softly, once.

"It's okay, Shiro."

So they move more carefully than they usually do (did), but when Shiro tries to rest on his side, careful of the the myriad of burns and bruises that are still healing on Keith's body, Keith huffs in annoyance, pulling him closer (and he's stronger, now, Shiro thinks. Strong enough to hold them both, one handed, when dangling from a space station with the pull of a planet fighting against him) until Shiro is on top of him, Keith's long legs open so Shiro rests against him.

The satisfaction in Keith's face hasn't changed, and it still (always, probably) makes need and want burn low and steady inside Shiro.

So Shiro huffs, murmurs a 'brat' before he leans to kiss Keith again, smiling against his mouth when Keith murmurs about how he can't be a brat at twenty, and if kissing Keith wasn't the most important thing Shiro could think about doing now (or, always, really) he'd probably laugh.

But kissing Keith might be even more important than breathing, and Shiro only moves so he can, slowly, put his hand on Keith's hip, run it down his side, trying to read through the bruised skin and find familiar territory to touch, to learn (relearn) what Keith might enjoy now, after all of this.

"Can I?" Keith asks, and Shiro nods, breaking away enough for them both to take off their pants and Shiro allows himself to look, trailing his hand down Keith's side once more. Keith smiles at him, not even pretending that he's not looking at him, too, and then they're kissing again, rocking against each other, Keith's cock hard against his.

They're too tired for much more than this, this warm gentle rocking against each other, but it's good and more than enough. Good enough for they to share kiss after kiss, for Keith to bite his shoulder with a moan, for Shiro to move his hand so he can help Keith hitch one leg over his hip so that he can press closer, so that Shiro can tell him just how good he feels, how much he has missed this, how good Keith makes him feel.

In any other circumstances, it might have been embarrassing, how fast they come, how between one kiss and one moan he gasps Keith's name and he comes between them and how Keith stares at him wide eyed before he chases his own climax, coming soon after him.

But now it just means that the exhaustion that Shiro still hasn't completely conquered comes back with the sated feeling of an orgasm and Keith, still breathing hard by his side, doesn't seem too far from sleep himself. But when Keith opens his eyes and looks at him, he can't stop himself from smiling.

"What?" Keith asks. Shiro reaches for him again, cradling his face, thumb against the burn scar he left. Just like before, when there wasn't a mark there, Keith leans his face against his palm.

Nothing, Shiro thinks of saying. Or maybe everything.

In the end, it's simpler to say:

"I love you back."


End file.
